Sam Charney is an American businessman and founder of Charney Companies. He is also an art collector.
From 2004 to 2012, Charney worked as a project executive for Two Trees Management, developing over 1 million square feet of office space and housing; he also co-founded Two Tree's construction company GreenStar Builders.[1] [2] Charney’s first development project, the rehabilitation of an 1859 warehouse at 164 Atlantic Avenue, won a Brooklyn Building Award for best adaptive reuse.
He founded his own real estate firm, Charney Companies, in 2013.[2] [3] As his first solo project, he “took all the equity [he] had saved up and bought a piece of land in Long Island City.”[1] This lot later became The Jackson Condominium, an 11-story development near MoMA PS1 that features a lobby mosaic wall designed by Tom Fruin.[2] [4] [5]
He currently serves as Principal at Charney Co.,[6] developing over 2 million mixed-use square feet in Long Island City, Williamsburg, and Gowanus.[7] [3]
Charney sits on the boards of the Brooklyn Museum and Pursuit, a nonprofit focused on adult education and job training, as well as the facilities committee of the Brooklyn Public Library.[6] [3] [8] He is also an art collector.[6] His collection includes works by Honor Titus, Shepard Fairey, Keith Haring, Kaws, JR, Swoon, Banksy, Marc Chagall, Louise Nevelson, and Alexander Calder.[3]
Charney grew up in Manhattan and attended the Dalton School.[9] While in high school, he was an errand boy for a Soho gallery; the experience led him to pursue a major in art history, with an emphasis on street art.[3]
After graduating from Bates College, Charney enrolled in the Harvard Graduate School of Design.[10] He received a Master's from New York University.[2]
In 2012, he was awarded the NYU Award for Humanitarianism for his work with blind athletes.[11] He was included on Crain's 2022 Notable Leaders in Real Estate.[6]
Charney is a Democrat and has made donations to Eric Adams’ mayoral re-election campaign.[12]